Inflammation is the usual initial response of the body to harmful stimuli and is necessary for the healing of most diseases and conditions. Both the initiation of inflammation and the cessation of inflammation are complex processes. It is now known that many human conditions and diseases are caused by the inappropriate initiation of inflammation or the inappropriate lack of cessation of inflammation. Some of these ‘inflammation-related conditions and diseases’ involve simultaneous inflammation of many body tissues or organs such as for example sepsis and polytrauma. Others involve inflammation limited to specific body tissues or organs such as for example inflammatory neurodegenerative diseases [e.g. Alzheimer's disease] and autoimmune diseases [e.g. antiphospholipid syndrome, atherosclerosis, autoimmune encephalomyelitis, autoimmune hepatitis, celiac disease, Graves' disease, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, myositis, polymyositis, Raynaud's phenomenon, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, systemic lupus, type 1 diabetes and uveitis].
Treatment of inflammation-related conditions and diseases include the administration of therapeutic agents to reduce or cease inflammation, such as anti-inflammatory agents (including 5-aminosalicylates and corticosteroids), biological drugs (including infliximab and vizilizumab) and immunosuppressants (including azathioprine, cyclosporine and mercaptopurine). Disadvantageously, however, these therapeutic agents can have severe side effects including increased risks for infectious diseases, malignancies and osteoporosis. Further, many patients do not respond to these therapeutic agents. Additionally, many of these therapeutic agents do not provide long term efficacy.
Therefore, there is a need for a new method for treating inflammation-related conditions and diseases which is not associated with these disadvantages.